How To Be The Little Engine That Could

Posted: 23/09/2014 by
Cox Purtell

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string(4147) "Yesterday on the train, with my eyes glued to my phone as per usual, I stumbled across this article: Why Some Kids Try Harder and Some Kids Give Up, by Tracy Cutchlow. The article goes on to describe two types of mindsets, which reveal two different attitudes to learning. These are the “fixed mindset” and the “growth mindset.”
In essence, the fixed mindset goes something like this: “If I can’t already do it well, it’s probably not worth trying, because I clearly don’t have the aptitude.” The growth mindset, on the other hand, goes more like this: “If at first you don’t succeed, try again!”
Apparently people with fixed mindsets are less likely to persevere and more likely to give up than those who have developed growth mindsets.
Immediately one of my father’s favourite anecdotes popped into my head. The incident, if it is to be believed, took place the night before my first day of Kindergarten. My father found me in my bedroom with every book I owned spread out around me. To hear him tell it, I was completely freaking out.
Dad: “Sara, what are you doing? It’s bedtime! You have your first day of school tomorrow!”
Me: “BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO READ!!!!!!” (insert melodramatic tanty here).
That’s when my dear old Dad had to sit me down and explain that it was OK that I couldn’t read. In fact, that was the whole point of school – to learn new things including, but not limited to reading!
The above anecdote indicates that I tend towards the fixed mindset. I thought reading would either come to me naturally, or it wouldn’t come at all. Surrounded by my wealth of books, I expected to draw an aptitude for reading into my brain by osmosis.
Ironically, I am almost certain that amongst the pile would have been the book “The Little Engine That Could.” I don’t know if this was popular in Australia, but it’s a tale of a little engine who overcomes obstacles with her positive attitude. The refrain that helps her through her struggles is, “I think I can I think I can I think I can…”
I am grateful my parents took notice of this tendency early and went to considerable lengths to push back against my “just give up” attitude. Despite their efforts, however, I must admit that I don’t always handle obstacles gracefully. My most recent round of pre-employment psychometric testing indicated a lack of resilience.
My greatest role model when it comes to resilience and perseverance is my mother. She transitioned from a career as a pastry chef to a career as a teacher in her 20’s. She learned to ski when she was 40. She learned to weave baskets at 55. She is quite possibly the world’s best gardener. None of these skills came to her naturally – they came from her hard work, practice, and perseverance.
Although it may not sound like it, 26 years after my pre-kindy freak out, I have come a long way in transitioning into a growth mindset. How do I know? I recently changed careers, and I have been doing something new, and something wrong every single day since.
There was a time in my life when this would have been intolerable to me. I’ll admit it, some days it still feels frustrating and even scary. But I’m still here, and I’m feeling more motivated than ever. It gets a tiny bit easier every day, and I can already see evidence that I am gaining a wealth of new skills – chief among them, resilience.
I would like to leave you with a call to action: Think about your life. Ask yourself, “Am I doing anything that challenges me?”
If the answer is no, find a challenge, no matter how big or small, and don’t give up until you’ve achieved it (even if you can’t do it gracefully)."
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Yesterday on the train, with my eyes glued to my phone as per usual, I stumbled across this article: Why Some Kids Try Harder and Some Kids Give Up, by Tracy Cutchlow. The article goes on to describe two types of mindsets, which reveal two different attitudes to learning. These are the “fixed mindset” and the “growth mindset.”

In essence, the fixed mindset goes something like this: “If I can’t already do it well, it’s probably not worth trying, because I clearly don’t have the aptitude.” The growth mindset, on the other hand, goes more like this: “If at first you don’t succeed, try again!”

Apparently people with fixed mindsets are less likely to persevere and more likely to give up than those who have developed growth mindsets.

Immediately one of my father’s favourite anecdotes popped into my head. The incident, if it is to be believed, took place the night before my first day of Kindergarten. My father found me in my bedroom with every book I owned spread out around me. To hear him tell it, I was completely freaking out.

Dad: “Sara, what are you doing? It’s bedtime! You have your first day of school tomorrow!”

That’s when my dear old Dad had to sit me down and explain that it was OK that I couldn’t read. In fact, that was the whole point of school – to learn new things including, but not limited to reading!

The above anecdote indicates that I tend towards the fixed mindset. I thought reading would either come to me naturally, or it wouldn’t come at all. Surrounded by my wealth of books, I expected to draw an aptitude for reading into my brain by osmosis.

Ironically, I am almost certain that amongst the pile would have been the book “The Little Engine That Could.” I don’t know if this was popular in Australia, but it’s a tale of a little engine who overcomes obstacles with her positive attitude. The refrain that helps her through her struggles is, “I think I can I think I can I think I can…”

I am grateful my parents took notice of this tendency early and went to considerable lengths to push back against my “just give up” attitude. Despite their efforts, however, I must admit that I don’t always handle obstacles gracefully. My most recent round of pre-employment psychometric testing indicated a lack of resilience.

My greatest role model when it comes to resilience and perseverance is my mother. She transitioned from a career as a pastry chef to a career as a teacher in her 20’s. She learned to ski when she was 40. She learned to weave baskets at 55. She is quite possibly the world’s best gardener. None of these skills came to her naturally – they came from her hard work, practice, and perseverance.

Although it may not sound like it, 26 years after my pre-kindy freak out, I have come a long way in transitioning into a growth mindset. How do I know? I recently changed careers, and I have been doing something new, and something wrong every single day since.

There was a time in my life when this would have been intolerable to me. I’ll admit it, some days it still feels frustrating and even scary. But I’m still here, and I’m feeling more motivated than ever. It gets a tiny bit easier every day, and I can already see evidence that I am gaining a wealth of new skills – chief among them, resilience.

I would like to leave you with a call to action: Think about your life. Ask yourself, “Am I doing anything that challenges me?”

If the answer is no, find a challenge, no matter how big or small, and don’t give up until you’ve achieved it (even if you can’t do it gracefully).